The present invention relates to an electrical connector for connecting a flat conductive member.
Patent Reference has disclosed a conventional electrical connector for connecting a flat conductive member. The conventional electrical connector has a plurality of terminals with a plurality of contact sections. In the conventional electrical connector, the contact sections are formed at the terminals to contact with the flat conductive member, so that the terminals can securely and stably contact with the flat conductive member.
Patent Reference Japanese Patent Publication No. 4192203
In the conventional electrical connector described in Patent Reference, each of the terminals includes a first flexible contact arm portion (a rear contact beam) that extends backward, i.e., a direction of pulling out the flat conductive member, from a lower part of a basal section, which extends in a vertical direction (i.e., a direction orthogonal to a surface of the flat conductive member). Each of the terminals further includes a second flexible contact arm portion that extends backwards in parallel to the first contact arm in the vertical direction at a position of the basal section.
In the conventional electrical connector described in Patent Reference, the first contact arm includes a front contact section that protrudes upward at a rear end thereof for contacting with the flat conductive member. The second contact arm has a rear-side portion that extends diagonally upward to the same position as the front contact section in the vertical direction, and includes a rear contact section that protrudes upward for contacting with the flat conductive member.
Accordingly, each of the terminals includes two contact sections, i.e., the front contact section of the first contact arm and the rear contact section of the second contact arm. The front contact section and the rear contact section are provided away from each other in the front-and-back direction, and are situated at the same height level in the vertical direction.
According to the conventional electrical connector disclosed in Patent Reference, when an actuator presses the flat conductive member downward towards the front contact section and the rear contact section after inserting the flat conductive member frontward, the front contact section and the rear contact section elastically displace and contact with a corresponding circuit section, which is formed on a lower face of the flat conductive member, with a certain contact pressure.
In the conventional electrical connector of the type described above, it has been required to reduce a dimension in a direction orthogonal to a surface of the flat conductive member. In the conventional electrical connector disclosed in Patent Reference, the two contact arms, i.e., the first contact arm and the second contact arm, are formed in parallel to each other at positions that are away from each other in the vertical direction. Accordingly, it is necessary to provide a space to allow the first contact arm and the second contact arm to elastically displace downward. As a result, it is difficult to reduce a dimension of the terminals and a dimension of the electrical connector in the vertical direction, which is orthogonal to the flat conductive member.
In view of the problems described above, an object of the present invention is to provide an electrical connector for a flat conductive member. In the electrical connector of the present invention, it is possible to reduce a size of terminal and a size of the electrical connector, even when the terminal includes a plurality of contact sections to securely contact with the flat conductive member, thereby ensuring stable contact.
Further objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description of the invention.